Dowel turning device



Feb. l5, 1966 E. A. RAY 3,234,974

DowEL TURNING DEVICE Filed Aug. 2, 1965 INVENTOR.

eA/Es T 4 @4x tareas This invention relates to a novel device for turning dowels from square stock, and involves a hand-held tool into which square stock is fed and rotated, as by means of an electric drill.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an eicient, practical, and low-cost tool of the kind indicated, which does the work of expensive and spaceoccupying turning lathes at a fraction of the cost thereof, and which utilizes a power source, such as an electric hand drill, or the like, which is likely to be already available.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple tool of the character indicated above, which comprises only a tubular handle, carrying a cutter head, and a guide housing, receivably connected to the handle, in which a rotatable square-bored guide bushing is contained.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following de scription and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes for illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a tool of the lpresent invention, held in one hand of a user, while a hand drill, in which a chucked square stock, being fed into the tool, is held in the other hand of the user;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the tool;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a further enlarged perspective View of the handle of the tool, per se.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the illustrated tool, generally designated 1t), comprises a handle 12, carrying a cutter head 14, and a guide housing 16, on which a rotary guide bushing 18 is confined, the bushing preferably being of nylon or other friction reducing material.

The handle 12, designed primarily to be hand-held, is .capable also of being stationarily and non-rotatably supported, in any other suitable manner, as in a vise. The handle 12 comprises a longitudinally elongated, cylindrical solid body 20 formed with an axially smooth bore 22 extending therethrough, which is of substantially the diameter of dowling to be made with the tool. The exterior of the body 2t? has an outset knurled external portion 24, which is spaced from the ends of the body.

The body 20 has a squared rear end 26, and its forward end is preferably integrally formed with a reduced diameter cutter head 14, which defines a forwardly facing annular shoulder 23. The head 14 comprises an externally threaded cylindrical rear portion 30, which merges, at its forward end, into a frusto-conical portion 32.

The forward end of the conical portion 32 is formed with equally circumferentally spaced teeth 34, which are of mutilated triangular shape. The teeth 34, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4, have concavely curved altitude sides 36 and convexly curved hypotenuse sides 38, which meet to define transverse routing edges 42. The sides 36 and 3S, and their cutting edges merge into each other, at their outer ends.

The guide housing 16 comprises a longitudinally elongated tubular body 44 which is internally threaded, as indicated at 46, adjacent to its lower end 4S, which is adapted to securably receive the threaded portion 3l) of ice the handle 12, `and abut its lower end 48 with the shoulder 28, as shown in FIGURE 3.

The housing 16 has a compound axial bore extending therethrough, which comprises a relatively large diameter smooth rear portion 50, opening to the rear end of the housing, and a reduced diameter smooth forward portion 52, opening to the forward end 54 of the housing. The sidewall 56 of the rear part of the housing is formed with circumferentially spaced, relatively large diameter discharge openings 58, for the escape of material cut from stock, by the teeth 34, in the course of forming a dowel D from square stock S. A radial lubricant entrance bore 60 extends through the sidewall 62 of the forward part of the housing into the forward bore portion 52.

The guide bushing 18 is a cylindrical tubular form having an axial square bore 64 extending to its ends. As shown in FIGURE 3, the bushing 18 is longer than the forward part of the housing 16 and extends into the rear bore portion 50, and has a squared rear end 66, closely spaced from the cutting teeth 34.

At its forward end 68, the housing 18 is formed with a lateral annular flange 70, which seats in an internal annular groove 72, formed in the forward end 54 of the housing 16, the flange 70 being flush with the forward end 54. An annular cap-nut 74 is threaded, as indicated at 76, on the forward end of the housing 16, and retains the bushing 18 in pl-ace.

In use and operation, a piece of square stock S is first chucked, in such as the chuck 76 of an electric hand drill 78, held in one hand of the user of the tool, and the stock S then inserted forwardly into the square bore 64 of the bushing 18. The drill 78 is then actuated to rotate the stock and the bushing 18, relative to the guide housing 16, and suliicient pressure then is exerted to eiiectively engage the entering end of the stock with the teeth 34 of the cutter head 14, whereby a dowel D is formed and passes out of the bore of the handle 12.

Any desired length of dowling can thus be formed, from any suitable length of stock S, and where desired, only a limited length of a piece of stock S may be formed into a dowel D, leaving the remainder of the stock in its original square form.

Although there has been shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention isy not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In a dowel turning device, a tool comprising a handle having a smooth and unobstructed bore extending therethrough, a ring of cutting teeth on one end of the handle and surrounding said bore, a tubular guide housing connected to the handle at one end and surrounding the ring of teeth, said housing being formed with a smooth bore portion aligned with the ring of teeth and longitudinally spaced therefrom, a cylindrical bushing rotatably engaged in said bore portion and confined in the housing, said bushing being formed with a square axial bore extending therethrough and aligned with the ring of teeth.

2. In a dowel turning device, a tool comprising a handle having a smooth and unobstructed bore extending therethrough, a ring of cutting teeth on one end of the handle and surrounding said bore, a tubular guide housing connected to the handle at one end and surrounding the ring of teeth, said housing being formed with a smooth bore portion aligned with the ring of teeth and longitudinally spaced therefrom, a cylindrical bushing rotatably engaged in said bore portion and confined in the a housing, said bushing being formed with a square axial bore extending therthrough and aligned with the ring of teeth, the square bore of the bushing being adapted to non rotatably receive square stock from which a dowel portion is to be turned, and means for rotating the stock and the bushing relative to the housing and the handle with the entering end of the stock pressed against the ring of teeth,

3. In a dowel turning device, a tool comprising a handle having a smooth and unobstructed bore extending therethrough, a ring of cutting teeth on one end of the handle and surrounding said bore, a tubular guide housing connected to the handle at one end and surrounding the ring of teeth, said housing being formed with a smooth bore portion aligned with the ring of teeth and longitudinally spaced therefrom, a cylindrical bushing rotatably engaged in said bore portion and confined in the housing, said bushing being formed with a square axial bore extending therthrough and aligned with the ring of teeth, the square bore of the bushing being adapted to non-rotatably receive square stock from which a dowel portion is to be turned, and means for rotating the stock and the bushing relative to the housing and the handle with the entering end of the stock pressed against the ring of teeth, said means comprising a hand drill having a chuck in which an end of the square stock is chucked.

4. In a dowel turning device, a tool comprising a longitudinally elongated handle having a rear end, said handle being formed with an axial smooth and unobstructed bore extending to its ends, an annular cutter head fixed on the forward end of the handle, said cutter head comprising a reduced diameter externally threaded portion of said handle, a frusto-conical portion of said handle extending forwardly from said threaded portion, said conical portion terminating in a ring of cutter teeth, a longitudinally elongated guide housing having a compound axial bore extending therethrough, said compound bore having a larger diameter portion receiving and threaded on the threaded portion of the cutter head, said compound bore having a smaller diameter portion, a cylindrical bushing journalled in said reduced diameter portion and axially spaced at its rear end from the ring of teeth, said bushing having an enlarged diameter square bore extending therethrough and axially aligned with the ring of teeth.

S. In a dowel turning device, a tool comprising a longitudinally elongated handle having a rear end, said handle being formed with an axial smooth and unobstructed bore extending to its ends, an annular cutter head lixed on the forward end of the handle, said cutter head comprising a reduced diameter externally threaded portion of said handle, a frustro-conical portion of said handle extending forwardly `from said threaded portion, said conical portion terminating in a ring of cutter teeth, a longitudinally elongated guide housing having a compound axial bore extending therethrough, said compound bore having a larger diameter portion receiving and threaded on the threaded portion of the cutter head, said compound bore having a smaller diameter portion, a cylindrical bushing journalled in said reduced diameter portion and axially spaced at its `rear end from the ring of teeth, said bushing having an enlarged diameter square bore extending therethrough and axially aligned with the ring of teeth, the sidewall of said housing at said larger diameter bore portion being formed with circumferentially spaced discharge openings facing said ring of teeth.

6. In a dowel turning device, a tool comprising a longitudinally elongated handle having a rear end, said handle being formed with an axial smooth and unobstructed bore extending to its ends, an annular cutter head xed on the forward end of the handle, said cutter head comprising a reduced diameter externally threaded portion of said handle, a frustro-conical portion of said handle extending forwardly from said threaded portion, said conical portion terminating in a ring of cutter teeth, a longitudinally elongated guide housing having a compound axial bore extending therethrough, said compound bore having a larger diameter portion receiving and threaded on the threaded portion of the cutter head, said compound bore having a smaller diameter portion, a cylindrical bushing journalled in said reduced diameter portion and axially spaced at its rear end from the ring of teeth, said bushing having an enlarged diameter square bore extending therethrough and axially aligned with the ring of teeth, said reduced diameter threaded portion of the cutter head defining an annular shoulder with said handle, with which the rear end of the guide housing is adapted to abut.

7. A dowel turning device comprising a substantially cylindrical handle larger in diameter than a dowel to be turned, said handle being formed with an axial bore substantially of the diameter of a dowel to be turned, said bore extending to the ends of the handle, an annular axially disposed cutter on one end of the handle and aligned with said bore, said cutter being smaller in diameter than the handle, a tubular guide housing larger in internal diameter than the handle bore and secured axially on said one end of the handle, said guide housing having a compound bore consisting of a larger diameter portion spacedly surrounding the cutter and a smaller diameter portion extending to the end of the housing remote from the handle, a rotary bushing engaged in said smaller diameter bore portion, said bushing having an implement receiving polygonal bore extending therethrough.

8. A dowel turning device according to claim 7, wherein said bushing has an inner end axially spaced from said cutter and an outer end, a lateral anular ange on said outer end bearing against the adjacent end of the guide housing, and an apertured cap nut threaded on said adjacent end of the guide housing and retaining the bushing in place.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 83,573 10/1868 Whitlock 142-56 722,486 3/1903 Bullock 142-25 1,048,218 12/1912 Shapiro 145-115 2,529,018 11/1950 Hancharik 142-31 2,715,924 8/1955 Norris 144-205 ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM W, DYER, JR., Examiner. 

1. IN A DOWEL TURNING DEVICE, A TOOL COMPRISING A HANDLE HAVING A SMOOTH AND UNOBSTRUCTED BORE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, A RING AND CUTTING TEETH ON ONE END OF THE HANDLE AND SURROUNDING SAID BORE, A TUBULAR GUIDE HOUSING CONNECTED TO THE HANDLE AT ONE END AND SURROUNDING THE RING OF TEETH, SAID HOUSING BEING FORMED WITH A SMOOTH BORE PORTION ALIGNED WITH THE RING OF TEETH AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACED THEREFROM, A CYLINDRICAL BUSHING ROTATABLE ENGAGED IN SAID BORE PORTIONAND CONFINED IN THE HOUSING, SAID BUSHING BEING FORMED WITH A SQUARE AXIAL BORE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AND ALIGNED WITH THE RING OF TEETH. 